Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Miss World 2011: About London...

Panoramic view of River Thames

-London is the capital of the constituent nation of England that along with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland forms the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. London also serves as the capital of the kingdom. England is a non-devolved state within a constitutional monarchy in which Elizabeth II acts as the monarch within the parameters of a constitution.

-London is considered one of the Top 10 global cities and it is ranked second on the list prepared by the American Journal Foreign Policy. It is the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom and the largest urban zone in the European Union. London’s history goes back 2,000 years when it was founded by the Romans. The city has a population of near 8 million, with a total population of nearly 14 million in the London metropolitan area.

-Official currency is the Pound Sterling. $1.00 USD is approximately £0.63 GBP. London is a very diverse city with significant communities of Bangladeshis, Chinese, Ghanaians, Greeks, Indians, Irish, Jamaicans, Nigerians, Pakistanis and Turkish. Of course English is the main language but in January 2005, a survey of London's ethnic and religious diversity claimed that there were more than 300 languages spoken and more than 50 non-indigenous communities which have a population of more than 10,000 in London.

London Heathrow Airport

-London is accessed by air mainly through London Heathrow which is the busiest airport in the world for international traffic. London Gatwick is another important gateway. Most of the delegates can reach London with non-stop flights or at most with one-stop flights.

-London is traversed by the River Thames which is crossed by the iconic Tower Bridge which is one of London’s landmarks. The city is home of four world heritage sites: London Tower, Kew Gardens, the complex comprised by the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and the St. Margaret’s Church and the historic Greenwich. Other landmarks include the Buckingham Palace, the Big Ben, the London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral among many others.

London Bridge

-London’s climate is of the Oceanic type which feature warm but not hot summers and cool but not cold winters. Average highs are on the 20s during the summer and the average lows are around 2 degrees centigrade. Snowfalls often happen on January. Bring your coats to London.

Aerial View of London

-Greater London is subdivided in 32 boroughs and the city of London.

-The City of London per se, is a tiny 2.90 square kilometer area that serves as the historic core of the London metropolis. The boundaries of the City have remained the same since the Middle Ages. The area is a financial centre ranked along New York as the leading centre of global finances. The area is getting many skyscrapers that are redefining the metropolis’ skyline.

-One of the boroughs is the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is the wealthiest of London boroughs. The borough is subdivided in districts and one of them is Earls Court. The district has a population of nearly 10,000 and it is home of the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, one of England’s largest indoor arenas and a popular concert venue.

Outside Earls Court Two

-The Earls Court Exhibition Centre opened in 1937 and is subdivided into four venues: the Earls Court One, Earls Court Two, Brompton Hall and the Museum Hall. Earls Court Two opened in 1991 after an extensive expansion of the centre. Earls Court Two has a maximum capacity of 12,000 spectators in a 17,000 square meter area.

Doors open at 3PM London Time. People should be seated at 4PM. Children under 5 years are not allowed and children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

Click Image to Expand

Inside Earls Court Two

-Make sure to find out the visa requirements for entry to the United Kingdom. You can do that by clicking HERE.

-You won’t have problems in finding a hotel. As a global city, London offers a wide array of bed and breakfasts, hostels and hotels located throughout the boroughs. You can find the available properties HERE. Remember that Earls Court is located on West London.

Big Ben

- London's bus network is one of the largest in the world, running 24 hours a day. The distinctive red double-decker buses are internationally recognized, and are a trademark of London transport along with black cabs and the Tube.

-The London Underground, commonly referred to as the Tube, is the oldest, and second longest. London has been commended as the city with the best public transport. The Docklands Light Railway is a more local metro system using smaller and lighter tram-type vehicles which serve Docklands and Greenwich.

London Eye

-There is an extensive above-ground suburban railway network, particularly in South London, which has fewer London Underground lines. London houses Britain's busiest station, Waterloo, which is an interchange station complex. The stations have services to South East and South West London, and also parts of South East and South West England. Most rail lines terminate around the centre of London, running into eighteen terminal stations with the exception of the Thameslink trains connecting Bedford in the north and Brighton in the south via Luton and Gatwick airports.

Buckingham Palace

-Eurostar trains link St. Pancras station with Lille, Paris, and Brussels. Journey times to Paris and Brussels of two-and-a-quarter hours and one hour 50 minutes respectively make London closer to continental Europe than the rest of Britain by virtue of the High Speed 1 rail link to the Channel Tunnel while the first high speed domestic trains started in June 2009 linking Kent to London.

- The Earls Court Exhibition Centre is served by two London Underground stations, Earl's Court and West Brompton, opposite its entrances on Warwick Road and the Old Brompton Road.

-The last time Miss World was held in London was in 2002 at the Alexandria Palace. London played host of Miss World from 1951 to 1988. In 1989 the pageant moved to Hong Kong but returned to London in 1990. In 1991 it moved to Atlanta but returned to London in 1999 and 2000. In 2001 the pageant was held in Sun City, South Africa after being held there in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995. In 2002 the pageant was scheduled to be held in Abuja, Nigeria but after the Miss World Riots in the nation, the pageant moved to London. After 2003, China, Poland and South Africa were hosts. In 2011 the pageant returns to London to celebrate its 61st edition.

Marriott London County Hall

-The contestants will stay at the luxurious Marriott London County Hall from October 27 until November 7 located alongside the London Eye and on the opposite bank of the Thames from the Houses of Parliament. Located on London's trendy and theatrical South Bank, the 5-star Marriott London County Hall has breathtaking views of historic Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the River Thames. The hotel is located in one of London’s grand buildings and was formerly the seat of the local government in the capital. It has been modernized while retaining many of the original stand out features such as the towering bronze doors and the polished marbled floors. All rooms are extremely spacious. Many of them offer spectacular views overlooking the river. The contestants will be able to take full advantage of the hotel’s extensive facilities, which include a state of the art gymnasium, spa and a 25-meter indoor swimming pool. They will be able to enjoy a range of packages developed especially to suit their needs and ensure that they are in the best possible condition for their big night. Chef Christopher Basten and his team are rising to the challenge of taking care of the culinary requirements of contestants from all over the world. The team is working hard in planning not just what the girls and their entourages will eat for their 12-day stay but how to source all the ingredients and ensure that all regular guests also have the highest standards of hospitality that the hotel is famous for. There will be special hotel packages for the event.

Tower of London

-The contestants arrive to London on October 19 and will tour the United Kingdom until October 27. Schedule details will be given later. This is one of the shortest Miss World editions in history spanning 20 days.

-118 contestants are expected to compete. If the number materializes, the 115 record of last year’s Miss World held in the People’s Republic of China will be surpassed. Kyrgyzstan and Saint Barthélemy are expected to debut. You can visit each of the delegates' profiles at The Times of Beauty.

The Times of Beauty offers annual coverage of the two best beauty pageants in the planet: Miss World and Miss Universe. The website and its owner are not related in any form or manner whatsoever with these international pageants. "Miss World" and "Mister World" are property of Miss World Limited based in London, United Kingdom. "Miss Universe" is property of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP based in New York, New York, United States. The Times of Beauty does not claim credit or ownership for any images featured unless otherwise noted. We aim to give credit when we can. All visual content is copyright to its respectful owners.